SVANANDA SUKHADA KUNJA

SRILA BHAKTIVINODA THAKURA'S HOUSE

AT “SRI GODRUMADVIPA“ ISLAND OF NAVADVIPA-MAYAPUR DHAMA  

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is an eternal associ­ate of Lord Caitanya and his eternal spiritual form is Kamala Manjari. His name was Kedanatha Datta. He later became a District Magistrate (High Court judge) under the British Government. This was the highest position an Indian could hold under British rule. As the District Magistrate in ­Puri, he was also overseeing the activities of Lord Jagannatha's temple. In that position he raised the standard of worship of Lord Jagannatha and also increased the offerings to sixty-four offerings a day.  

He led a life of incessant labor and activity for Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He effected such immense good in the world that his work is only to be compared with the unbounded works of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself and the Six Goswamis. It was the spiritual attempts and divine writings of this individual that turned the scale and led the intelligent and educated community to believe in the noble precepts and teachings of Lord Caitanya.

If one look back a 180 years, one cannot but be astonished to find how degraded was the condition of the Vaishnava faith that had its pure origin in the deep and majestic spiritual philosophy of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Even vastly learned panditas could not fathom the superexcellent precepts of Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, yet due to incredulity born of ignorance of uncultured men, the Vaishnava faith had been degraded and was considered a beggar’s excuse for living at the expense of society. It was sheer love for Godhead that Thakura Bhaktvinoda expounded the deep philosophy which had remained concealed in the pages of the Vedas, Upanisads, Puranas and Srimad Bhagavatam. By his humble action toward divine service, he restored the worship of Lord Sri Krishna to its proper, central place practically single-handedly, and sowed the seeds of its propagation. Also by his words, set in simple language to be easily understood by readers in general, he has given this philosophy to the entire world. It is his writings and divine, unparalleled character that have helped to produce a class of educated and enlightened men who are now proud of Vaishnava faith and of their acquisition of the spiritual knowledge of the pure and sublime philosophy of Krishna, on which the stern teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu are based.  

THE DISCOVERY OF BIRTHPLACE OF LORD SRI CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was so anxious to live in Navadvipa-Mayapur, the land of Lord Caitanya that he applied many times for a transfer to any town nearby. Upon not receiving the desired transfer, he formally submitted resignation from public service. At this, the British government conceded and he obtained transfer to Krishnagara, which is 25km from Navadvipa-Mayapur, as the District Magistrate.

Year 1865 was the most eventful year in the history of the Vaishnava world. It was in this year, one night, while Thakura Bhaktivinoda was chanting Hare Krishna mahamantra on the verandah of this house, he saw a dazzling golden effulgence emanating from the other side of the Jalangi River (which flows in front of his house). This also happened the next night, but this time he saw beautiful golden forms of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda dancing in kirtana. The next day, he went searching in the direction of the effulgent vision and came to an area covered in tulasi plants in a Muslim vil­lage called Meeyapour. After extensive research and the divine confirmation of Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura officially memorialized the birth site of Lord Caitanya and brought its true identity and importance before the public eye.

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